There has been some encouraging news of late about California’s exports, but the outlook for the state and the rest of the nation is “mixed” going into this winter, Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics’ International Trade Adviser, warned.

“While the Federal Reserve Bank’s efforts at quantitative easing should push the dollar’s value down to the benefit of California exporters, the current level of acrimony among the G-20 nations is shocking,” he said. “As the G-20 leaders huddle in Korea this week, there appears little room for a consensus to emerge over how the global economy’s chief players will address some extremely vexing economic and trade policy issues.”

On the import side of the ledger, the U.S. Commerce Department reports that California’s merchandise import trade totaled $28.87 billion in September, an increase of 13.2 percent over last September. California accounted for 17.4 percent of all U.S. merchandise imports in September.

California’s nominal international trade deficit in September amounted to $16.54 billion.

November 12, 2010

About the Author

Patrick Burnson, Executive Editor

Patrick Burnson is executive editor for Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review magazines and web sites. Patrick is a widely-published writer and editor who has spent most of his career covering international trade, global logistics, and supply chain management. He lives and works in San Francisco, providing readers with a Pacific Rim perspective on industry trends and forecasts. You can reach him directly at [email protected]

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